


Home's is where The Heart is (but your heart ain't there)

by Crymore



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Daniel is from the comics, Len is the best bf, M/M, Maria and Eren Palmer are my OCS, Meet the Family, but kind of happy ending, but the family sucks, family agnst, no family reconciliation, no relationship angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 20:15:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18611737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crymore/pseuds/Crymore
Summary: Raymond's living status was accidentally broad-casted, now his family in Ivy Town want a chance to see him again. Ray has issues with that, so his loyal boyfriend Leonard offers to go with him. Now Len will finally discover why Raymond never visited his family before.





	Home's is where The Heart is (but your heart ain't there)

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my profile to see how to send requests and to check out my tumblr! Thanks for reading and be sure to judo and comment!
> 
> Requested by anon/Kipp

Raymond was very proud to say he was the most functional of his family. At least in his eyes. Ray had friends he trusted, he spoke his mind without rebuke, he did what he lived for his job, and he had a great significant other. 

Granted, Ray’s friends were all superheroes he met while trying to save the world, no one discarded his ideas because he was surrounded by like minded geniuses, his job was to thwart evil doers who tried to harm innocents, and his significant other is a thief-turned-hero who loved puns and shiny things and the freezing cold. 

But such is life for the Atom. 

And the advantage, Ray supposed, is that he didn’t see his family often for comparison. Considering he was still legally dead. 

Well, until last week. 

Ray was in Central, in loan to help team Flash and to visit Len. (Read: there was a problem that lasted longer than three days and Len suggested inviting Ray over for help and let Barry think it was his idea because the thief missed his boyfriend). 

Ray tried not to geeked out about fighting a huge telekinetic/telepathic gorilla. Because that was AWESOME. 

Barry and Ray were dutied to attack Grod, and Len was crowd control. Which was a nice way to say he was allowed to shoot ice at the cops and new casters and the watching civilians to keep them away from the fight and hopefully scare them away entirely. Because the last thing the heroes need was Grod getting his hands on Len and using him and his gun against Barry and Ray. 

But Ray got too close to the arm span of Grod, and the next thing he knew, there was an unbearable squeezing pain surrounding his head, so sudden and so intense he passed out almost immediately. 

Ray woke, he wasn’t sure how much later it was, it must have not been long because he could still hear the clamoring of a fight and of the spectators. 

Hands were scrambling over his chest and neck, then the annoying pressure around his temples was gone, and a sudden brightness was blinding. 

“Shit, Raymond. Say something, anything-“ lLn was rambling. That wasn’t good. Len wasn’t one to waste words, everything he said was as precise as his aim-

“Ouch.” Ray groaned, squeezing his eyes shut to block out the lights. 

Len cussed again, this time in relief, sighing heavily and laying a hand over Ray’s chest plate, by his heart. 

Ray almost missed the gasps of surprise by them. He ignored the noises in favor of savoring Leonard fawning over him. The scent of cigarettes and leather and some pricey cologne that Len doused himself in every morning. 

There was a great roar from behind them, so mighty and loud it shook the ground, and Ray passed out once more. 

The second time he woke up, it was in Star Labs, Len by his side but staring at the screen of Cisco’s computer through the clear wall of the med bay. His back towards him, leaning against the med bed casually. 

It was some news story; ray didn’t particularly care. His head was aching and he felt slightly nauseous, normal symptoms of head trauma he wagered. He could hear fine though, and listened to the conversations around d him. 

“You usually think, like, twenty steps ahead. What happened?” Barry questioned… someone. 

Len stiffened by him, Ray could feel the air turn cold. “Every one slips up occasionally Flash.” He hissed. “It’s not like you don’t have an expert hacker on call for these sort of things. Just have Smoak erase the footage.”

“Len, it was live.” Barry stressed. “Even Felicity couldn’t pull something like that. We can take it off the internet and delete to footage so it can’t run again, but what’s already been seen can’t be unseen.”

The sound of metal striking metal rapidly filled the air by Ray’s head. 

‘Len must be messing with his ring.’ Ray though idly, fingers itching to reach out and smooth the worry from Len’s hands. ‘He only does that when he’s worried.’ 

“Fine.” Len said, words strained. “Do that. Whatever. We just have to convince everyone that it wasn’t Raymond.”

Ray was officially lost. His head was hazy and his thoughts were fuzzy, but he swallowed the nausea down and decided to sit up. Len was upset, something big happened to the team, and it was something that regarded Ray, so it was best he engaged anyway.

And so the whole team Flash flocked to him the second he started to move. 

Caitlin and Len both tries to persuade him to lay back down, Cisco was chittering about how his ass got handed to him by Grod, and Barry tried to explain the situation at hand, but everyone drowned eachother out and all they did was make Ray’s headache worse. 

Ray waved his hand, getting everyone’s attention. “Okay,” he sighed deeply, relaxing before the storm, “what happened.”

Apparently, something bad. 

—-

So, Ray was outed for being alive. 

Len, in a panicked hurried, rip off Ray’s helmet after Grod tried to crush his head with it, to make sure Ray was still alive and alright. Both had forgotten about the news crews and police around them. Forgotten about the cameras and the cell phones trained on them. 

Ray wasn’t very upset about it. Logically, he figured eventually the cat would be let out of the bag. He was presumed dead, then paraded in front of cameras as he put himself into high stress and life threatening situations. Ray was just surprised that he managed to hide his face as long as he had. 

His helmet didn’t even cover his whole face! That design flaw was pointed out several times by several people. Mostly Len. 

So no, Ray wasn’t mad about being discovered. What’s the worst that could happen. The government can’t make him declare himself alive. Ray made sure Len knew he wasn’t mad. Not at Len or the situation or the circumstance. 

What Ray was mad about was the voicemail Felicity had forwarded to his cell phone with a strange apologetic text attached. 

Ray was mad about the call his brothers had left on his old cell number that Felicity maintained for him. 

Ray was mad about the voicemail his uncle left. 

About the one his Father left. 

He groaned and pressed a pillow over his face in emotional agony. “Is there any more?” He asked. 

Len loosely help the cell. After Ray listened to the first message from his twin, he nearly threw it against the wall, so Len dutied himself with being the one to hold the phone a play all the messages as Ray laid down on the bed at the hotel he was staying at and groan into a pillow after each message. 

“Um, just one more from your mom.”

Ray sighed. This was going to be one hell of a guilt trip.

“Kay. Play it.”

Len’s look of worry was unseen by Ray, but felt. 

“Raymond sweetie, it’s- it’s me.” The message started shakily. “It’s just, I, um, we, your father and I saw the news. It’s, was it?” A whimper caused Ray to flinch beneath the pillow. “If it was you, just, just let me know. It can be our secret.” She rushed. “You don’t need to let anyone else know, but please Raymie if that was you, by some miracle please please call me. Or write!” A water chuckle made grainy by the speaker made Ray’s heart hurt a little bit. “Your father still never looks at the mail, you know how he is.” Silence tampered in until Mrs. Palmer started again. “If it was you Raymie,” she said evenly, the emotions held at bay professionally, “please, just give me a sign. I love you sweetheart.” 

The click and dial tone dragged on, eventually Len snapped the old flip phone closed to end the noise. 

Ray removed the pillow from his face and sighed. Leonard was watching him with blatant concern in his grey eyes. 

In lieu of speaking, the thief arranged himself to lay next to his boyfriend. 

“… wanna talk about it?”

Ray snickered, tears that were held in his eyes now trickling down his face. “Is the Captain Cold willing to talk about emotions?”

Len smirked. “Not Captain Cold.” Permanently cold fingers brushed against Ray’s warm digits. “But Len is.”

Another laugh passed through Ray’s nostrils before a somber pause settled over them. 

“… I think I should visit my family.”

Len raised an eyebrow. Not questioning, not judging. “Because there’s no point in hiding from them anymore or because you want to.”

“Neither, both.” Ray groaned (does he ever really stop) and dragged a hand down his face. “I miss them, but I can’t tell if nostalgia is warping my perception of them.”

“Buuut?” Len egged. 

“But I do remember I hate my brother.”

Len laughed aloud. Eyes closed and throat exposed and jubilant. Ray smiled fondly at the sight. 

“God, I’d love to meet you brother just to see how much of a dick-dag he had to be to you. I mean, you don’t hate anyone!” Len chuckled. “You apologizes to a guy that spilled his drink on you once.”

Ray huffed affectionalty. “I apologized because you threatened to castrate him for spilling his drink on me.”

The thief waved his hand as if to smack the facts out of the air. “Details, Raymond, details.”

Ray returned his gaze to the ceiling, mulling over the situation. He could handle his mother, Ray loved his mom. When Ray began to outshine everyone, his surgeon father and his charismatic twin and sweet baby brother and all his peers and classmates, when Ray’s intelligence became a thing of mockery instead of praise, when Ray became too complicated to be bothered with, his mother remained. Susan Palmer tried to understand her son and never stopped trying. She might not have understood him at times, never able to follow his thought process or understand why he did what he did, but she never questioned him. 

David Palmer had a twisted sense of envy and pride for Ray. Ray started his own company from scratch, went to college four years early, became the one of the youngest self-made millionaires in the history of America, but that wasn’t enough or good enough for David. David thought he was impressive, being one of the youngest surgeons hired at Ivy Town General Hospital, graduated top of his class in high school and college, started his life young and right. But what he accomplished paled what Raymond did. The thirty-so people David has saved on the surgery table was laughable compared to the number Raymond saved with his inventions and programs. David would brag about Raymond’s accomplishments to anyone who would listen but never showed any pride to Ray. 

Ray’s siblings were a whole ‘nother issue he didn’t even want to think about. Sydney and Daniel and he never got on. At least they weren’t ganging up on eachother. Sydney hated Ray’s intelligence and Danny’s charisma. Danny hated Sydney’s ability to sway people to his ideals and Ray’s ability to gain and keep friends. And Ray hated that Sydney would always be David’s favorite despite his twin’s mediocre everything and Daniel would never be held to the standard Ray himself was. They were always three separate people, never brothers. 

“Do you want to go?” Len asked after some time.

Ray sighed. “I really should. It’d be in bad form not to.” He shifted uncomfortably at the thought. “I just don’t like the thought of being with all of them alone.” 

Len’s far arm reached across and laid on Ray’s chest, hugging him. “What if I went with you?”

Ray startled. “Wait, what?”

The thief shrugged, nuzzling his nose into the scientist’s neck. “Well, you’re already an illegal hero, and you faked your death, I think dating a wanted, male, thief is the least of their problems.”

“Yeah, but you haven’t seen my family.”

“Yeah, but you’ve seen mine.”

That’s a fair point. Leonard killed his own father because he was a threat to his sister. Len hand crafted his family through loyalty and dependence with Lisa and Mick. And Ray (he figures he should include himself). Len doesn’t waste his time with people he doesn’t think deserve it. It doesn’t matter how he knew that person, once they’re out, they’re out.

Ray’s eyebrows scrunched in worry and he turned his head so his cheek pressed against the crown of Leonard’s buzz cut. “… as long as you don’t threaten, steal from, or freeze them.”

He felt Len smirk against the skin of his neck. “I’ll be on my best behavior, promise.”

“You have a best behavior? How come I’ve never seen it.”

“Because I don’t have to be good around you. You like me bad.”

“Mmm, I’m pretty sure I like you good. You’re not in prison if you’re good.”

“You’re not getting the point, Boy Scout.”

“It’s Eagle Scout and you know it.”

—-

Ivy Town was perpetually frozen in time. Since it’s construction during the Steel Belt era, where then modern technology made previously inhabitable areas livable. For Ivy Town, it was a swamp. A total marsh. But after draining the excess water and diverting it to a man made lake, and filling the land divots with concrete, and combating the humidity with air conditioning units in every home and business, Ivy Town was livable, and almost idyllic. 

You know, if it didn’t house the Palmers. 

The Palmer family had been in Ivy Town since its founding, and their home as well. Old fashioned and one of the only victorian houses in the area, every other house was a modular, the Palmer house was well hidden in the small forest that litters the town, and every time Ray looks at it, he gets a sense of dread. 

There weren’t a lot of happy memories at the Palmer house. 

Ever since Ray showed his potential at the young age of seven, home was more like a potential war zone in a constant state of battle rather than a place to lay your head. Raymond spent most of his time either at school, the arcade, the town library, or the old shed he had outfitted to be his own lab. 

Even after years of being away, the sight makes something lurch in Ray’s stomach, an old survival instinct to run away. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he looked down the driveway, where the house waited. 

Len side eyed him easily, rearranging the expensive bottle of scotch Ray had bought (“Never go to a party empty-handed, it’s bad manners.”) . “We can still leave. Ditch them and fool around at the drive-in movie we passed.”

Ray laughed. That was his Len, alway with the alternatives. “I can leave my dad and brothers no problem, but I did promise my mom.”

Ray couldn’t care less about disappointing his father, he’s been doing that his whole life. But he’d be damned before he hurt his mom anymore than he already had. 

Len nodded in understanding, and the car progressed down the driveway to the house. 

The wrap around porch still had Ray’s initials carved on and the pale pink paint was chipping and peeling still. The forest green door looked redone, and the ornate gold knocker was new. 

With a fortified breath, Ray took the bottle from len with one hand and lifted the ring of the knocker with the other, and on the other side of the door, an argument disturbed the tense air in the other side. 

The words couldn’t be made out, but it sounded like two women fighting from the high pitch tones. It was enough to give Len and Ray pause.

“… that your mom?”

“More likely my cousin.” A loud shattering sounded on the other side of the door. “And my sister-in-law.”

Len threw him a questioning look. “How big’s your family again?”

Ray chuckled. “Second thoughts?”

The thief threw the scientist a smug look and covered the hand holding the knocker with his own. Together, they banged the ornate ring against the wood.

\---(Len’s POV)---

All the commotion on the other side of the door silenced immediately. There was another conversation, this time between a man and a softer spoken woman. 

The door opened.

The woman looked older, with auburn hair with tasteful white streaks. Her face was rectangular and she had a soft but defined jaw, and wide grey eyes. Behind her stood a tall older man, a freakish mirror image of an older Ray. His jawline was softer and age sagged his face down, and a pair of rectangular wire frame perched on his nose. His hair was styled in an old-fashioned way, salt and pepper, with solid gray sideburns. They were dressed in the classic 50’s way, pink sundress and blue button-down respectively. 

Len realizes these are Raymond’s parents. 

The parents and their child stared at each other, as if none of them could really believe that they were in each other’s presence. Len felt half like an outsider, interlooping on a private affair, and half like a spectator, like a visitor on a safari.

Ray smiled uneasily and jostled the bottle in his hand. “I brought scotch?” he offered lamely.

Many things happened at once. Sue (Len hopes it’s Sue Palmer, Ray’s mom) threw her arms around her very much taller than her son and Ray leaned over instinctively (he must’ve been doing that ever since his teen years, Len figures), Len snagged the scotch bottle as Ray spread his arms open to receive his mother’s affection, the foyer inside the house flooded with many people, and a large commotion sounded.

“Oh my god, it’s really him.”

“Move over, Danny!”

“Christ above, he’s really back!”

“Who’s that with Ray?”

Len suddenly felt scrutinized. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling, but still, not the impression he wanted to make.

A trilling woman’s voice sounded from the foyer. “Susan sweetie, let the man breath.”

Ray laughed and hugged his mother. “Hi, mom.”

Len and Ray were corralled into the house and pushed into what Len assumes is the sitting room (Jesus, what houses have sitting rooms anymore?)

Aside from Ray’s parents, there was only one other older gentlemen, who looked exactly like Ray’s father, but dressed more humbly and wearing large thick rimmed glasses. By his arm was a girl a little younger than Ray, blonde hair and blue eyes and glasses matching the man next to her. She had a wicked grin and sly eyes. At first glance she reminded Len of Lisa.

There was man who looked exactly like Ray, down to the hairstyle, but his back was straighter and his face was impeccably unreadable. That must be Sydney, the twin, the politician. By him was a woman with carefully styled brown hair and nervous green eyes, flickering between each person in the room as she held a toddler with the same black hair as sydney and the same green eyes as the woman. A tense, toothy smile was plastered onto her face, but anyone could see she was uncomfortable.

Standing in the open doorway of the room was a young man dressed in casual clothes, with shaggy auburn hair and grey eyes downcasted at the ground. A pair of glasses were pushed up on his head, dragging some of the longer strands of his bangs with it. His face was young, boyish, and the way he curled into himself reminded the thief much of how Ray stands when he feels awkward. Len guessed that was the youngest brother, Daniel.

Mrs. Palmer sat closely on the ottoman in front of the love seat Ray and Len were rassled into. Everyone else was standing. Eventually, after a few tense seconds while everyone settled, the blonde with the glasses broke the air. 

“So?’ she dragged out. “Who’s he?” she gestured to Len with her chin.

Len liked this one.  
Her questioned seemed to starle Ray out of his silence. “Oh! Right!” Ray grabbed Len’s shoulder, either to indicate his presence in case some hadn’t seen him, or because he need physical contact as a means of support. “This is Len! Len, this is my mom and dad,” he he gestured to the couple that opened the door, “uncle Eren and cousin Maria” the other older gentleman and the young blonde woman, “my twin brother Sydney and his wife Chelsea, and their son Cameron,” the carbon copy of Ray, the tense woman, and the toddler, “and my youngest brother Daniel.” The outsider by the door. “Family, this is Leonard,” he repeated. “He is…” he sighed deeply to exhale the nervousness in his chest, “um, my boyfriend.”

No one seemed angry at least. Maria and Daniel seemed amused. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer seemed unfazed. Sydney raised an eyebrow in surprise, though it seemed like he was surprised Raymond admitted to dating a man, not the fact Ray was dating a man in itself. Chelsea and Eren’s expression didn’t change, but their eyes flickered to Len briefly then everyone in the room before they settled on the back wall idly. 

Maria chuckled, a little snort-giggle that was freakishly similar fashion Ray did. “Uh, cuz, when did you start dating a super villain?”

Len has to smother his bark of laughter with a cough. It seemed Maria was the one in the Palmer family with the communal pair of balls. 

“He doesn’t do that anymore!” Ray tried to remedy.

“Much.” Len teases slyly.

Mr. Palmer, Sydney, Ray gave identical disapproving looks to Len, and he’s be lying is he said if it didn’t off put him some. 

Mrs. Palmer waved her hand. “Oh, let’s put that all aside for now, sweetheart. We’re just happy you’re here and you’ve found someone.”

Len couldn’t tell if she genuinely meant that or if she was just trying to diffuse the building tension.

Mr. Palmer cleared his throat. “Yes, Ray, we are thrilled to have you back-“ behind the lenses of the glasses, his brown eye dewed. “But we were hoping for some sort of explanation.”

Ray sighed heavily. “That’s fair. You deserve to know.” His pinky finger reached out to Len’s, brushing up against it. Len grasped his boyfriend’s hand tightly, as if to transfer Len’s strength and resolve to Ray.The hero chuckled nervously. “Fair warning, it’s a long story.”

From the doorway, Danny scoffed. “When are your stories short?”

Ray and Sydney threw their brother an annoyed look. Len wonders idly if all Palmer men share the same facial expressions or if it was just the twins that practiced.

Raymond told his family the very vanilla version of his rise to super-heroism. About Damien Darhk and H.I.V.E, about Anna and Slade, about the A.T.O.M. suit (Ray glared at Sydney a little bit when he mentioned it, apparently Sydney’s future betrayal still burned Raymond), and he briefly touched up on his adventures of the Waverider. Raymond just alluded it was very top secret and dangerous (leaving out the part where Len died and came back miraculously). Ray did say that’s where he meant Len and where their relationship started, and when Ray decided to leave the Legends, Len followed him to continue his life as a hero.

Both Mrs. Palmers cooed at that. 

The men of the family listened stoically, all of them nodding at the same time (seriously, what is with the synchronization in his family?) and and remained silent the whole time. When Raymond was finished, no one asked any questions, Len assumed that they were all accustomed to Ray’s habit of holding onto secrets. Ray only lied or hid the truth when it really mattered, and when it did really mattered, there was no one on earth who could pry the truth from him, not Len, and certainly not his family. 

To the credit of the Palmers, no one seemed very surprised. The biggest shock was that Ray was alive, after that everything else was feasible. Being a hero, fighting villains, dating one of them, was apparently on brand for Ray.

Another thing on brand for the Palmer household, it seemed, was fighting. 

About twenty minutes into the very lovely dinner Susan had made, an argument had, well, Len wouldn’t say erupted. The tension in the air was obvious from the second everyone sat down, Ray shiftedly looking to his brothers and father, Sydney pointedly ignoring everyone in favor of helping his wife strap Cameron into his high-chair, Daniel staring at Raymond with envy and curiosity in his eyes, and David Palmer surveying all of his sons in a way that seemed condescending. 

Ray turned the conversation away from him at every given moment. Deflecting questions about his work as Atom by asking Maria how the hospital she worked at was fairing. Asked Daniel how his job as a firefighter, shot the breeze tensely with Sydney about town politics that Raymond had seemingly kept up with while he was”dead.” Inquired about the hardware store his uncle owned. He even tried to engage David with small talk that the father shot down with single word responses. If Len hadn’t promised to behave, he would have insulted each man here already for the way they were all were cold to Ray.

It was almost like watching a the wick of a TNT bundle burn up until it finally got to the dynamite stick.  
Sydney’s answers turned snide and Daniel started arguing with their father. David said everything sharply and Ray’s saint-like patience was wearing thin. Danny brought up something about a solar system display that Raymond accused him of breaking, Maria took Ray’s side and Sydney scoffed loudly and said that Maria always took Ray’s side. 

Susan watched all her children with wide, unblinking eyes, not afraid but wary. Chelsea pointedly looked down at her food and made no move to sooth her husband. Uncle Eren was getting revved up and was having his own fight with David as the cousins all argued pettily. 

Len watched everything unfold quietly, not making a move to defend Ray. He had always hated when Len did that. (Beside, Len doesn’t know what to do in this situation. He and Lisa don’t really argue, and when Mick and he have a dispute, it’s a fist fight and a mumble apology and they move on. And everyone already knew how Lewis and Len argues (the cigarettes burn scars ache in memory and the vindication of Len getting the last word at the end of it all soothed them.)) Len doesn’t know how normal families fight. He had a strong suspicion tv was wrong in their interipations.

Sydney finally said the straw that broke the camel’s back, something about Ray always being so humble and how sick of the act he his. 

Ray and Maria both shot up from their seat and yelled in unison, “It’s not an act!” and then everything sort of imploded from there. 

Susan told everyone to calm down and then David told Sydney to get off his high horse and then everyone except for Len was yelling at each other. 

As quickly as it had started the fighting stopped, almost everyone vacating the the room to go somewhere else in the house. David and Sue went to the kitchen, Sydney stalked to the living room, Chelsea following diligently with Cameron in her arms again. Maria stomped angrily to the porch outside and screamed with her jaw clenched before slamming the door. Daniel slipped upstairs, Len guesses to his room. Eren goes to the sitting room and Len can hear the clinking of glasses that are on the booze trolley he had spotted before coming to the dining room. 

Raymond left the house from the back door and Len saw him duck into the shed that Ray had claimed for himself as a child. 

Len debated going out right away to Ray to help him deal with his problem, or at least be a shoulder to cry on (Ray did get ever so weepy whenever his emotions ran high), but decided against it. All Ray would do if Len went out know is apologize for his actions and insist he was fine when he wasn’t. So len went to the front porch instead to kill some time before going back and comforting his boyfriend.

The sight that greeted him almost made him laugh.

Maria was leaning against the railing of the porch, a cigarette perched in her fingers as pale grey smoke billowed from her lips. Her blonde hair wasn’t in it’s pristine ponytail anymore and her glasses were pushed up on her head the way Daniel’s were.

“Aren’t you a nurse?” Len questioned playfully, leaning his back on the railing next to Ray’s cousin.

She looked at him, startled, and laughed idly. “Right.” she croaked, voice strained. “UH, these’ll kill you. Smoking kills.” she giggled, taking another drag. She offered the cigarette to Len, but shook his head. He quit smoking when he learned Lisa had asthma as a kid, and the only reason he smells like cancer stick is because Mick lights them for fun and the scent cling like a bitch.

“I’d apologize for our family’s behavior, but that would suggest that that was out of character for us.” Maria stated. “I can’t remember the last time we had a family gathering and there wasn’t a fight.”

Len hummed. “Ray mentioned that the Palmers weren’t exactly the Brady Bunch.”

Maria barked a laugh. “That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.” she sniffed and rubbed her eyes. Len noticed that the whites of her eyes were red and her eyelids puffy. She must have been crying.

The thief groaned. He can’t stand crying girls, they always compel him to comfort them (old instincts left over from raising Lisa).

“If it helps any,” Len drawled, grabbing her attention so he could press one of the tissues he always keeps in his pocket to her face for her to grab. “Ray’s never said anything bad about you.”

Maria sniffed again and grabbed the tissue, wiping her eyes. “Yeah, ‘cause I’m not a jackass.” Len barked a laugh and turned to rest his elbows on the railing, shoulder to shoulder with Maria. “Shouldn’t you be comforting Raymie or something?”

Len shrugged. “Ray usually needs to cool off after a fight.”

Maria hummed. A stretch of silence pulled between them before the blonde sighed heavily. “It’s not… anyone’s fault you know.” at the confused look Len gave her, Maria continued. “Palmers have never gotten along, least of all this generation. Ever since dad and Uncle David were born, thing just really went downhill.”

Len tried to smile, to lighten the mood. “Am I gonna get the nitty gritty Palmer family history?”

Maria laughed again, a wet sound from deep in her throat. “Hell yeah you are. No chance Raymie’s gonna tell you, he’s too polite.”

Len was inclined to agree.

She took a long drag of her cigarette before starting. “Uncle David was the smart one of the family.” she started, smoking pilling from her mouth like wisps. “First to go to college in the family, first to get married out of his siblings, first to have kids. Graduated top of his class in high school and college, youngest doctor hired at Ivy General. He was so proud of himself for being successful.” A far away look clouded her eyes. “And then the twins were born. Everything was hunky dory for a bit, then Raymie start to show signs of geniusness.

“David Palmer prides on three aspects of himself, the three pillars he chose to build his personality on. His intelligence, his influence on the community, and the barriers he broke in his youth.” Each aspect was accompanied with Maria sticking on of her fingers to count them off. “And each of his sons had surpassed him in each. Raymie started college when most kids started high school and got his first doctorate when everyone was going through freshman orientation. Started his own business before he hit thirty and is one of the youngest millionaires in the world. His business created hundred of thousands of job, and the unemployment rate in Star dropped from 39% to 14% just because of him. Hell, the city changed it’s name because of him.” 

Len knew most of that. Not the unemployment thing but damn that’s impressive.

One of Maria’s finger was tucked back into her palm. “Sydney graduated top of his class and doubled major in Political Science and Business Management. Youngest mayor hired into office in Ivy’s town history at 28. I might think Sydney is a dick, but that doesn’t negate the fact he has a good head on his shoulders and has done for for this town in five years then anyone has done in fifty.” 

Another finger tucked away, only her thumb still remained.

“And then there’s Danny. As bright as Sydney and friendly as Ray. Passed through school alright and almost immediately joined the the town’s Fire Brigade. He’s been a firefighter for less than a decade and has the record of putting out more fires than anyone else. He’s saved ‘bout fifty people already. There’s a plaque for him in the town’s museum and everything. Hell, they all do.” she put her hand down and took a long, slow drag of her dying cancer stick. 

“Dad and Uncle David have always hated each other I think. Uncle Dave always bragged himself to the point dad used to cock him just to get him to shut up.” She flicked the orange butt of the cigarette away from her into the yard. “The worst bit is that Syd and Raymie and Danny didn’t start out hating each other. They didn’t care about who was doing what or whatever. But Uncle Dave kept pitting them against each other because he couldn’t deal with the fact he sons were better than him.”

Len thought of David Palmer, with is carefully planned clothes and big house and stern face. Someone who couldn’t let anyone be better than himself and emotionally destroyed them if they were. Raymond and his brother didn’t hate each other because they were jealous, they hated each other because their father poisoned them to. He scowled deeply at that. 

It seems the women of the Palmer family were the only ones excluded from the inane fighting. Len knew that Sue had tried the hardest to understand Ray while he was growing up. She might not have understood him half the time, but she never pushed negative feelings on him or let him think less of himself because of his brothers’ accomplishments. 

Len ran a rough hand down his face. The Palmer’s were way more complicated than Ray let on. No wonder what he was so nervous about coming back. Who’d want to? A father who would insult you until you fought your brother, a mom who could only do so much and still not get you, and two brother who fought with themselves as much as they fought with you? Shit, if Len was in Ray’s shoes, he’d fake his death long before Darhk was out for his blood.

“Palmer sibling’s are never meant to get along.” Maria said sagely before turning to len with a sardonic smile. “Maybe that’s why my dad tried so damn hard to make sure I was an only child?’

Len gave a half-hearted smile in return.

Maria looked a little pained before speaking again. “Don’t… don’t try to fix them.” she gestured vaguely to the house. “They can’t be fixed. They just can’t.”

“I ain’t in the business of fixing things. That’s more Raymond’s area.”

“Even he wouldn’t try with this family.” she spat, glaring a hole through the floor of the porch.

Dinner was a bust. Len collected Ray from his shed and they left. Len wasn’t going to make Ray stay in that toxic environment longer than necessary. Ray said goodbye to the women, promising to call his mom and to meet up with Maria for drinks soon. Chelsea kissed Ray on the cheek, leaving a pink kiss-mark, and told him she really was happy he was actually alive. Ray blushed deeply hugged her before they left.

As they drove out of the driveway, out of the town, Ray was silent, with one hand on the wheel and the other limply on the gear shift.

Len’s long fingers threaded through Raymond’s, and offered a small but genuine smile.

Ray looked a little sad, but returned it.

Ray might not have the whole Palmer family in his corner, but he did have the Snarts. And the Rorys (even if there was only one) and the Allens and everyone on the Legends and Team Flash and Team Arrow.

Len just hoped Ray knew that.

**Author's Note:**

> This was 16 pages on Doc and i wanna die. Totally worth it. I hoped i really showed the root of the Palmer family dysfunction.


End file.
